Our New Hallway Library

Made from Ikea Ribba Ledges.

Our New Responsibility Chart

The start of the day

The middle of the day

The end of the day



Trays!

I started something new a week ago with S and it has been a great way to get him to work independently on an activity or play with a toy.

Each evening before bed, I set out three trays with a toy he rarely chooses, a coloring page, an independent activity, a puzzle, playdough, dot marker page, etc. on each one.  He can work on these trays at any time during the day and when I notice he's bored I will remind him to go "pick out a tray."  I plan to add more trays as we go along.

This idea is adapted from 1+1+1=1.  Her system is more involved, educational and thought out.  Mine basically keeps S occupied while I unload the dishwasher ;)

Free Avery Label Pad Sample

Get a free Avery Label Pad sample here.  I love labels!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Reader Question: Coupon Organization

A reader asked:  "Would you do a post on how you organize your coupons?"  There are 3 basic components to how I keep my coupons organized:

1. Large accordian file for Sunday inserts:  I keep the inserts whole and write the date at the top.  I then file them by month.  This way if I read about a deal and the coupon is from "11/8 RP" I can just pull it out and snip.  I like this because there is no unnecessary cutting.  If I need to buy something and I want to know if I have a coupon for it, I use A Full Cup's coupon database to search for it.  It's free to sign up. 
2. Small accordian file for loose coupons:  This is used for coupons I receive in the mail; cut from magazines; print "in case"; pull from blinkies in stores; find in or on packaging; cut out of an insert and planned to use, but never did; etc.  It is organized by type of coupon (bathroom, cooking, dairy...)  I go through and clear the expired ones out at the end of each month. 
3. Envelopes:  When I plan a CVS or Target trip, I make my list on a junk mail envelope.  Note:  these are great for saving for many reasons.  I then store the needed coupons, gift cards, CVS card, printed coupon policy, a stock-up price list, etc inside the envelope to take with me.  I have a Target, CVS, Mall, and BRU/TRU envelope at all times. 

Just because this works for me, it may not suit your needs.  Some people like to cut out all coupons and make a coupon binder with trading card inserts.  Others like to carry around a box with little index dividers.  You just have to find what works for you.  Please feel free to share your own organization system in the comments.  Hope this helps!

Window Sill Book Display

I really love front-facing book displays for children, but we just don't have the space for one right now.  So instead I display books I want to draw S's attention to on the window sill of our playroom.  That is until I find time to make one of these:

• rain gutter display
• hack a regular bookshelf
• book slings

Packing Toiletries

Some of my home organization ideas are probably obvious, but I want to share this in case.  One thing I do to save time packing for short trips is keep a Ziploc bag of travel size toiletries packed at all times.  Then I can grab it and go.  I get my travel toiletries from free sample offers by checking Money Saving Mom and Freebies4Mom or for free from the trial size bins at CVS and Target using coupons. 

Just in Case...

...I gave the impression that everything runs smoothly around here.

Music and Movement

 

I keep all of S's instruments in one basket in our playroom.  I like having doubles of some so we can play the same thing together.  Sometimes I will tell him to follow what I am doing and other times I will copy him.  The scarves are wonderful for movement and dancing around.  These are juggling scarves, but you could just cut any thin fabric to make them.  You could also make your own ryhthm sticks.  S's first instrument was an egg shaker.  S loved his as a baby because it fit so well in his grasp. 

Seasonal Toys and Books

 

My mom recently aquired this ugly pumpkin basket for free and passed it on to me (because I love stuff like this).  I decided it made a fun basket to keep in the living room to store our Halloween and then Thanksgiving toys and books.  Starting last year, I began storing these items with the holiday decorations and I think it will make an exciting tradition each holiday to unpack the toys and books.  Now I need to find a big ugly Santa basket.

Note:  Don't worry, we have two copies of Where the Wild Things Are.  One will remain out year round.

Little Baskets

I love using little baskets to put activities in for S.  I keep them on his table and rotate the activities in them (i.e. nesting eggs, stacking blocks, sound shakers...). 

Fall Cleaning

One of my two "fall resolutions" (I'll blog about the other soon) is to do a better job of staying on top of cleaning.  I keep an organized and tidy house, but it is hard for me to find time to clean.  S is a light/short napper and I always seem to make too much noise when cleaning.  And when he's awake I find it hard to occupy him while I am cleaning. 

So I bought him this cleaning set for him to "help me" when I clean.  It's pretty cheap and plasticky and I would prefer a nicer one, but it was $2 at Tuesday Morning.  As a side note, I recommend Tueday Morning for saving money on toys.  Some visits are a bust, but at times you can find great quality toys for half the price.  I put the set in a caddy so that he could tote it around and the pieces would remain together when stored.  After I bought the set, I thought you could easily make your own with things you may already have: a clean spray bottle, sponge, rag... 

Also, S loves to push around our big broom.  I was going to buy him a child-sized one, but I found a Swiffer with one or two less handle extensions works just as well and it actually cleans the floor! 

Last, this or any other push toy works well in our house as a vacuum cleaner if you don't have a toy one.  Perhaps I should go clean instead of spending time blogging...

4 Alternative Uses for Breastmilk Storage Containers

1.  Bubble Maker.  Just put a little liquid soap and water in a container.  S loves to shake it to make bubbles.  You can also add food coloring if you like.  Thanks to Amy at The Wonder Years for the idea. 

2.  Shakers.  Add dry beans or rice (or anything else I suppose) to make a shaker instrument.  S likes that beans make a different sound than rice.  Thanks to my friend, Kristen, for the idea. 

3.  Open/close practice.  I try to give S various types of containers to practice opening and closing.  These work well for screw tops since they are not breakable and the perfect size for little hands.  Of course, once they master this you may want to screw the lid on tight or tape it shut for #1 and #2.  Thanks to Productive Parenting for the idea.  Side Note:  If you sign up at Productive Parenting's website, they will send you an email each day with an age appropriate activity idea from birth through four.

4.  Snack Containers.  I like the slim fit of the containers to keep snacks in my diaper bag for S. I find them less bulky than small Tupperware types.  #3 led me to this idea.

Any other ideas you want to add?

Beach Bag

I apologize if this post belongs in the obvious column, but it helped me stay organized this summer so I thought I would pass it on in case others hadn't thought of it. 

I kept a beach bag (from the dollar bins at Michael's) packed with swimming/summer fun gear so that I didn't have to pack up each time we left the house to go swimming.  I could just grab the bag and go.  These items were dedicated to staying in the bag:  toys, float, swim diapers, regular diapers, wipes, sunscreen, bug repellent, hats, towels, a snack, and a water bottle.